Mixtures of liquid-crystal polymers and polyarylene sulfoxides, foams made of such mixtures, process for their producing the same and their use

ABSTRACT

The novel blend comprises: 
     (A) from 1 to 99% by weight of at least one thermotropic-liquid-crystalline polyester and/or polyesteramide and 
     (B) from 1 to 99% by weight of at least one sulfoxide group-containing polymer, 
     in each case based on the total weight Σ (A)+(B)!. Component (B) is a linear and/or branched polymer having a mean molecular weight M w  in the range from 4,000 to 200,000 comprising recurring units of the formula  --F--S) c  --(F--SO) d  --!, where F, independently of one another, are simple or para-, meta- or ortho-linked arylene systems having 6 to 18 carbon atoms, preferably phenylene, naphthylene or biphenylene, where the sum c+d is 1, with the proviso that d is always ≧0.70. Component (A) is a thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer having a mean molecular weight M w  in the range from 10,000 to 200,000 g/mol and a transition temperature of &gt;250° C., and/or an amorphous thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer having a mean molecular weight M w  of from 10,000 to 200,000 g/mol and a glass transition temperature of &gt;160° C.

The invention relates to mixtures based on liquid-crystalline polymers (LCPs) and polyarylene sulfoxides which, as blends, have improved properties on conversion into molding compositions. An example of an improved property is improved weld strength.

Foamed polymers are well known. They are used, in particular, where low weight or a high strength/weight ratio is required.

Foamed LCPs can be used as heavy-duty functional components, for example in aircraft and automobile production and in chemical apparatus production or as chemicals- or heat-resistant insulating materials.

In general, however, foaming impairs the mechanical properties of the polymer molding compositions to such an extent that they are no longer suitable for many areas of application. In addition to the inherent advantageous properties of foamed polymers, foamed LCPs are generally required where there is a need for the specific LCP properties, such as high tensile strength, high heat resistance, high chemicals resistance and high toughness, in particular notched impact strength. These foams should also have low anisotropy or orientation.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,060 describes high-performance foams made from liquid-crystalline, fully aromatic polyesters containing at least 10 mol % of 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid units. These foams have a good strength/weight ratio, high heat resistance and excellent chemicals resistance. They have lower anisotropy than unfoamed LCPs. These foams can be produced by conventional methods, such as extrusion or injection molding. Foaming requires a blowing agent. Suitable blowing agents mentioned are 5-phenyltetrazole and trihydrazinetriazine.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,061 describes heat-treated LCP foams which have high rigidity and strength. The core of the LCP foams has highly oriented cell walls, whose properties are improved by heat treatment. These foamed LCPs have a low degree of anisotropy compared with unfoamed LCPs.

According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,107, however, the mechanical properties which can be achieved by means of the abovementioned foams are, owing to the coarse cell structure, inadequate to allow commercial exploitation.

LCP foams of the prior art can be produced either by means of chemical blowing agents or by addition of gases to the melt. The disadvantage of blowing agents is frequently about their health risks and their low melting point, which is frequently below the melting point of the LCPs. In addition, homogeneous mixing both with blowing agents and gases can only be achieved with great difficulty, which results in impaired mechanical property values.

It was an object of the present invention to develop molding compositions based on reactive polymer blends which, as such, have improved weld strength compared with the starting LCPs. A further object of the present invention was to develop a process for the preparation of foams comprising LCPs which are not produced by adding conventional blowing agents or adding gases to the melt of the LCPs to be foamed, but which nevertheless enable considerable expansion.

This object is achieved by a polymer mixture of the generic type mentioned at the outset, which comprises

(A) from 1 to 99% by weight, preferably from 5 to 97.5% by weight, in particular from 10 to 95% by weight, of at least one thermotropic-liquid-crystalline polyester and/or polyesteramide and

(B) from 1 to 99% by weight, preferably from 2.5 to 95% by weight, in particular from 5 to 90% by weight, of at least one sulfoxide group-containing polymer,

where the percentages are each based on the total weight Σ (A)+(B)!.

Surprisingly, it has been found that a mixture of thermotropic-liquid-crystalline polymers with polymers containing sulfoxide groups in the polymer chain readily form a foam. On exposure to heat, the thermally unstable sulfoxide decomposes, the sulfoxide groups being reduced to the sulfide. This is accompanied by the release of gases which act as blowing agents. It has also been found that the two mixture components can form a homogeneous molding composition, which can advantageously also be employed as such. Compared with the LCPs as such, the mixture has reduced anisotropy and improved weld strength.

The term "liquid-crystalline polymer" is taken to mean any thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer having a mean molecular weight, expressed as M_(w) (=weight average), of from 10,000 to 200,000 g/mol and a glass transition temperature of >250° C., or any amorphous thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer having a mean molecular weight (M_(w)) of from 10,000 to 200,000 g/mol and a glass transition temperature of >160° C.

A class of liquid-crystalline polymers which is suitable for the mixtures of the invention comprises fully aromatic polyesters, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,470. These are copolyesters containing recurring structural units of the formulae I and II ##STR1## in which T is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl radical, an alkoxy radical, in each case having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and a halogen, preferably chlorine, bromine or fluorine, s is zero or one of the integers 1, 2, 3 and 4, where, if more than one radical T is present in the molecule, these radicals are, independently of one another, identical to or different from one another. The naphthoyl-copolyesters contain from 10 to 90 mol %, preferably from 25 to 45 mol %, of structural units of the formula I and from 90 to 10 mol %, preferably from 85 to 55 mol %, of structural units of the formula II.

Further liquid-crystalline polyesters of the oxybenzoyl-copolyester type employed for the mixtures of the invention are described in EP-A-0 278 066 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,595. The oxybenzoyl-copolyesters mentioned therein contain structural units of the formulae III, IV, V and VI, where in each case one or more of said structural units can be present. ##STR2##

In the formulae III, IV, V and VI, k is zero or 1, v, w, x and y are integers identical to or greater than 1, D is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an aryl radical, and an arylalkyl radical, in each case having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, and a halogen, such as fluorine, chlorine or bromine, s is as defined above, where, in the case of more than one radical D, these radicals are, independently of one another, identical to or different from one another. The sum of the index numbers v, w, x and y has values of from 30 to 600. The oxybenzoyl-copolyesters generally contain from 0.6 to 60 mol %, preferably from 8 to 48 mol % of structural units of the formula III, from 0.4 to 98.5 mol %, preferably from 5 to 85 mol %, of structural units of the formula IV and from 1 to 60 mol %, preferably from 8 to 48 mol %, of structural units of the formula V and/or VI, the proportions of the structural units of the formulae III, IV, V and VI add up to 100 mol %.

Also suitable for the mixtures are copolyesters containing only structural units of the formulae III and V, or III and VI. These liquid-crystalline polymers generally contain from 40 to 60 mol % of structural units of the formula III and from 60 to 40 mol % of structural units of the formulae V and/or VI. The preferred molar ratio here is 1:1. Such polyesters are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,600,765, 4,614,790 and 4,614,791.

Also suitable are copolyesters which, in addition to the structural units selected from the formulae III to VI, also contain those of the formulae I and/or II, for example with a proportion of structural units of the formula I of from 15 to 1 mol %, with a proportion of structural units of the formula II of from 50 to 79 mol %, with a proportion of structural units of the formula III of 20 to 10 mol % and with a proportion of structural units of the formula V or VI of from 20 to 10 mol %.

Also suitable for the mixtures of the invention are copolyesteramides which, in addition to one or more structural units of the formulae I to VI, additionally contain at least one structural unit of the formula VII ##STR3## in which T and s are as described above.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term "sulfoxide group-containing polymers (B)" is taken to mean polymers containing at least one arylene sulfoxide unit

    --Ar--SO--; Ar=arylene                                     (VIII).

Examples of arylenes are phenylene, biphenylene (--C₆ H₄ --C₆ H₄ --), naphthalene, anthracene or penanthrene, each of which may be monosubstituted or polysubstituted. Examples of substituents are straight-chain, cyclic or branched C₁ -C₂₀ -hydrocarbon radicals, such as C₁ -C₁₀ -alkyl radicals, for example methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, t-butyl, n-hexyl or C₆ -C₁₄ -aryl radicals, for example phenyl or naphthyl, halogens, sulfonyl, amino, nitro, cyano, hydroxy, alkoxy or carboxyl groups.

A preferred sulfoxide-containing polymer is polyphenylene sulfoxide, which can, for example, readily be prepared by oxidation of polyphenylene sulfide using ozone.

The foaming effect which can be achieved in accordance with the invention depends on the type of sulfoxide group-containing polymer, in particular on the amount of sulfoxide groups, and on the proportion of the sulfoxide group-containing polymer in the polymer mixture. In addition, the foaming effect depends on the melt viscosity of the LCP to be foamed.

The heating of the starting polymers can be carried out in accordance with the invention in a temperature range of from 280 to 340° C. The temperature is preferably in the range from 300 to 320° C.

The invention also allows the use of mixtures of various sulfoxide group-containing polymers. It is also possible to add a further polymer, such as polyarylene sulfide, to the mixture to be foamed.

The LCPs can be employed, for example, as powders, compacts, fibers or films. The powders have standard commercial particle sizes, it also being possible to use granules. If the polymers are used in the form of fibers, these are employed as staple fibers, microfibers, needle felt, nonwoven material, card sliver or woven fabric. It is also possible to use films or shredded films in a suitable form.

The sulfoxide group-containing polymers should be used in powder form in order to achieve a homogeneous foam. The mean particle size (D₅₀ value) is in the range from 0.3·10⁻⁶ to 500·10⁻⁶ m, preferably from 0.5·10⁻⁶ to 300·10⁻⁶ m, in particular from 0.5·10⁻⁶ to 200·10⁻⁶ m.

The polymer mixture based on liquid-crystalline polymers and polyarylene sulfoxides can generally be employed as an unblended material. However, it is also possible to add further fillers, such as chalk, talc, clay and mica, and/or fibrous reinforcing materials, such as glass fibers, carbon fibers and whiskers, and further additives and processing auxiliaries, for example lubricants, release agents, antioxidants and UV stabilizers.

The novel foams and the unfoamed mixtures themselves can be used for the production of moldings. The moldings can be used as heavy-duty functional components, for example in aircraft and automobile production. Further uses of the moldings are in chemical apparatus production. The foams or moldings can be used as chemicals- or heat-resistant insulating materials.

The advantages of the novel process for the preparation of foam-form polymer structures are that

there is no need to add low-molecular weight blowing agents,

the process is simple to carry out,

it is not necessary to use environmentally damaging blowing gases,

LCP foams of particularly low density are possible,

and that the degree of foaming and the pore size can be set within a broad range.

The invention is illustrated in greater detail below for the person skilled in the art, through the working examples, but is not intended to be restricted to the embodiments described specifically.

EXAMPLE 1

A mixture was prepared from 90% by weight of the liquid-crystalline polyester ®Vectra A 950 from Hoechst AG and 10% by weight of polyphenylene sulfone (PPSO). ®Vectra A 950 was in granular form, and the PPSO was in the form of a powder having a particle size, expressed as the d₅₀ value, of 60 μm.

The PPSO used was the product prepared in Example 1 of DE-A 43 14 737.6.

The mixture, which had been dried at a temperature of 180° C., in vacuo, under nitrogen and for a period of 12 hours, was converted into granules in an LSM 34 twin-screw extruder from Leistritz, Nuremberg.

EXAMPLE 1A

Processing parameters:

Barrel temperature: 285° C.

Speed of rotation: 40 rpm

The extrudate and granules exhibited the normal appearance of the LCP ®Vectra, and there was no evidence of a foamlike structure.

EXAMPLE 1B

Processing parameters:

Barrel temperature: 330° C.

Speed rotation: 40 rpm

The extrudate and granules exhibited a foamlike structure.

Test specimens were produced from both the granules from 1A) and 1B) in an injection-molding machine (type KM090/210B, Krauss-Maffei, Munich, Germany) with the following process parameters:

    ______________________________________                                         Barrel temperatures:                                                           Heating zone (HZ) 1:                                                                             280° C.                                               HZ 2 to 5:        285° C.                                               Nozzle temperature:                                                                              285° C.                                               Mold temperature: 120° C.                                               ______________________________________                                    

The properties of the test specimens were measured immediately after production. The specimens made from both granules 1A) and 1B) did not have a foamlike structure.

The density was determined in accordance with DIN 53479.

The tensile properties (modulus of elasticity, tensile strength and elongation) were determined in accordance with ISO 527, with a crosshead speed of 5 mm/min. The test specimen used was a No. 3 tensile test piece.

The tensile properties (modulus of elasticity, tensile strength and elongation) parallel and perpendicular to the flow direction of the polymers to the injection mold were measured on test specimens measuring 80×10×4 mm which had been cut perpendicular and parallel to the flow direction out of sheets (film date) measuring 80×80×4 mm. The samples were tested at a crosshead speed of 5 mm/min.

The tensile test was carried out on test specimens with a weld line under the same conditions. The test specimen used here was a double-gated tensile test piece with a butt weld seam in the center of the test specimen. The weld strength was calculated from the quotient of the maximum tensile strength with and without weld seam. A suitable measure for assessing the weld seam behavior can also be the elongation at break of the bilaterally gated tensile test piece.

The heat deflection temperatures HDT A and C were determined in accordance with DIN 53 461. The test specimens measured 120×10×4 mm.

For comparison, ®Vectra A 950 was extruded as in Example 1A, injection moulded and tested (Example 1C). The results of all examples are shown in Table 1 below.

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                         Example         1A        1B       1C                                          ______________________________________                                         Density  g/cm.sup.3 !                                                                          1.404     1.404    1.398                                       Modulus of elasticity in tension                                                               7770      7670     9340                                         N/mm.sup.2 !                                                                  Tensile strength  N/mm.sup.2 !                                                                 126       121      150                                         Elongation at break  %!                                                                        3.7       3.5      2.9                                         Tensile stress - weld seam                                                                     21        21       13                                           N/mm.sup.2 !                                                                  Elongation at break - weld seam                                                                0.5       0.4      0.2                                          %!                                                                            Weld strength  %!                                                                              17        17       8                                           Heat deflection temperature                                                                    160       167      165                                         HDT A  ° C.!                                                            Heat deflection temperature                                                                    95        99       98                                          HDT C  ° C.!                                                            Modulus of elasticity  N/mm.sup.2 !                                                            1.612     1.510    1.510                                       perpendicular to the flow                                                      direction                                                                      Yield stress  N/mm.sup.2 !                                                                     45.1      42.8     48.4                                        perpendicular to the flow                                                      direction                                                                      Elongation at break  %!                                                                        4         3.3      5.7                                         perpendicular to the flow                                                      direction                                                                      Modulus of elasticity  N/mm.sup.2 !                                                            2.410     2.150    2.320                                       parallel to the flow direction                                                 Yield stress  N/mm.sup.2 ! parallel to                                                         74.2      74.6     82.6                                        the flow direction                                                             Elongation at break  %! parallel                                                               2.5       3.5      3.8                                         to the flow direction                                                          ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                         Thermoanalytical measurements:                                                 DSC analyses were carried out on the mixtures prepared as                      described in Examples 1A) and 1B):                                             ______________________________________                                         DSC measurement equipment:                                                                      DSC-7, manufacturer Perkin-                                                    Elmer, Uberlingen, Germany                                    Measurement conditions:                                                                         Measurement atmosphere:                                                        nitrogen                                                                       Heating rate/cooling rate:                                                     20° C./min                                                              Temperature programme                                                          1st heating from -10° to                                                380° C.                                                                 Cooling from 380° C. to -10° C.                                  2nd heating from -10° C. to                                             380° C.                                                ______________________________________                                    

During the 1st heating, the mixture of Example 1A) showed an exothermicity at 370° C. (peak), and the mixture of Example 1B) showed an exothermicity at 359° C. (peak). No exothermicity was observed during the 2nd heating.

The exothermicity is the crosslinking reaction of LCP with PPSO. In the case of prior activation, as for the mixture of Example 1B), the exothermicity continues at lower temperatures.

EXAMPLE 2

Granules produced as described in Example 1A were converted into sheets with a diameter of 60 mm in a press (Polystat 200S, Schwabenthan, Berlin) at various pressing temperatures. The pressing pressure was 8 bar, and the pressing time was 25 min. The results are shown in Table 2.

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                         Pressing    Weight of                                                          temperature the pressed                                                                              Density                                                   ° C.!                                                                              sheets  g!                                                                                g/cm.sup.3 !                                                                              Notes                                        ______________________________________                                         280         19.99     1.382       no foaming                                   290         20.05     1.388       no foaming                                   300         19.98     1.385       no foaming                                   310         19.92     1.153       structural                                                                     foam,                                                                          closed-cell                                  315         18.19     0.662       structural                                                                     foam,                                                                          closed-cell                                  320         --        --          polymer                                                                        runs out of                                                                    the mold                                     ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 3

Granules produced as described in Examples 1A and 1B were heated for various periods in test tubes in a block thermostat (type: Unitherm from Liebisch, Bielefeld) at various temperatures, and observations on foaming were recorded. The results are shown in Table 3 below.

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                         Temperature                                                                              Time        Granules Granules                                         ° C.!                                                                             min!       1A       1B                                              ______________________________________                                         280       30          -        -                                               280       60          -        -                                               290       10          -        +                                               290       30          +        +                                               300       10          +        +                                               300       30          +        ++                                              310       10          +        ++                                              310       30          collapses                                                                               collapses                                       ______________________________________                                          -: no expansion of the granules                                                +: slight expansion of the granules                                            ++: considerable expansion of the granules                               

EXAMPLE 4

Mixtures were prepared from the following:

1% of PPSO

99% of LCP (Example 4A)

5% of PPSO

95% of LCP (Example 4B)

10% of PPSO

90% of LCP (Example 4C)

100% of LCP (Comparative Example 4D)

The liquid-crystalline polyester used was ®Vectra A 950 from Hoechst AG. The PPSO used was the product prepared as described in Example 1 of DE-A 43 14 737.

®Vectra A 950 was in granular form, and PPSO was in the form of a powder (d₅₀ =60 μm).

The dried mixtures (dried at 130° C., vacuum, N₂, about 12 hours) were compounded in a compounder (type: Rheomix 600 from Haake Buchler, Karlsruhe) for 20 minutes at 280° C. Immediately thereafter, a sheet was pressed at 280° C. (press type: Polystat 200S from Schwabenthan, Berlin), and the viscosity thereof was determined at 280° C. as a function of the shear rate (frequency sweep) in a rheometer (type: dynamic spectrometer model RDS-II from Rheometrics, Frankfurt).

No foaming occurred during production and measurement of the samples.

Results of the viscosity measurements:

The viscosity dropped over the entire frequency range with increasing PPSO content. In addition, the mixture of Example 4C was pressed at 290° C., 305° C. and 315° C. and the viscosity was determined at 290° C. Foaming was observed during pressing at 315° C. and to a slight extent at 305° C. No foaming was observed at 290° C. The higher the pressing temperature, i.e. the more complete crosslinking reaction, the higher the viscosity over the entire frequency range at 290° C. 

We claim:
 1. A foamed polymer material comprising a foamed product obtained when foaming a foamable blend comprising:(A) from 1 to 99% by weight of at least one thermotropic-liquid-crystalline polyester or polyesteramide or combination thereof, and (B) from 1 to 99% by weight of at least one polymer which contains at least one arylene sulfoxide unit AR--SO--, where AR is arylene, in each case based on the total weight Σ((A)+(B)), wherein the foamed polymer material has a density of at least 50% lower than a density of the foamable blend before it is foamed.
 2. The foamed polymer material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the foam is a structural foam.
 3. A process for the production of the foamed polymer material as claimed in claim 1, which comprises subjecting the foamable blend to heat treatment at a temperature of from 280 to 340° C.
 4. The process as claimed in claim 3, wherein the heat treatment is carried out at a temperature of from 300 to 320° C.
 5. The process as claimed in claim 3, wherein the heat treatment is carried out for a time of from 5 to 30 minutes.
 6. A method for making a molded article comprising the step of molding the foamed polymer material as claimed in claim
 1. 7. The foamed polymer material as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a material selected from the group consisting of chalk, talc, clay, mica, a glass fiber, a carbon fiber, a carbon whisker, a lubricant, a release agent, an antioxidant, a UV stabilizer, and a mixture thereof.
 8. A foamable blend comprising:(A) from 1 to 99% by weight of at least one thermotropic-liquid-crystalline polyester or polyesteramide or combination thereof, and (B) from 1 to 99% by weight of at least one polymer which contains at least one arylene sulfoxide unit AR--SO--, where AR is arylene, in each case based on the total weight Σ((A)+(B)).
 9. The foamable blend as claimed in claim 8, wherein the component (B) is a linear or branched polymer or combination of linear and branched polymers having a mean molecular weight, M_(w), in the range from 4,000 to 200,000 comprising recurring units of the formula --(F--S)_(c) --(F--SO)_(d) --!, and where the F groups, independently of one another, are simple or para-, meta- or ortho-linked arylene systems having 6 to 18 carbon atoms, and where the sum c+d is 1, with the proviso that d is always ≧0.70.
 10. The foamable blend as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one F group is phenylene, naphthylene or biphenylene.
 11. The foamable blend as claimed in claim 8, wherein the component (A) is a thermotropic mixed-crystalline polymer having a mean molecular weight, M_(w), in the range of 10,000 to 200,000 g/mol and a glass transition temperature of >250° C., or an amorphous thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer having a mean molecular weight, M_(w), of from 10,000- to 200,000 g/mol and a glass transition temperature of >160° C. or a combination of the thermotropic mixed-crystalline polymer and the amorphous thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer.
 12. The foamable blend as claimed in claim 8, which additionally comprises a thermal stabilizer, a UV stabilizer, an antistatic, a flameproofing agent, a dye, a pigment, an inorganic filler, an organic filler or a combination thereof.
 13. The foamable blend as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mean particle size, d₅₀, of the component (B) is in the range from 0.3·10⁻⁶ to 500·10⁻⁶ m.
 14. The foamable blend as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mean particle size, d₅₀, of the component (B) is in the range from 0.5·10⁻⁶ to 300·10⁻⁶.
 15. The foamable blend as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mean particle size, d₅₀, of the component (B) is in the range from 0.5·10⁻⁶ to 200·10⁻⁶.
 16. A method for making a molded article comprising the steps of subjecting the foamable blend as claimed in claim 8 to heat treatment at a temperature which produces a foam, and molding the resulting foam to obtain the molded article.
 17. The molded article produced by the method as claimed in claim 16, having increased weld strength and reduced viscosity, in each case compared with the weld strength and viscosity of the component (A) of the foamable blend as claimed in claim 8 before it is foamed.
 18. An aircraft part, an automobile part, a chemical apparatus part, a heat-insulating part, or a chemical-resistant part comprising the molded article of claim
 17. 19. The foamable blend as claimed in claim 8, wherein 5 to 97.5% by weight of the component (A) is present, and 2.5 to 95% by weight of the component (B) is present.
 20. The foamable blend as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a polyarylene sulfide polymer. 